Board of Directors

Tracy Blair

Ms. Blair has been a healthcare attorney for over twenty-one years. Prior to joining Golden Valley Health Centers as its Vice-President and General Counsel, Ms. Blair started her legal career in private practice as a litigator. Ms. Blair’s litigation experience includes professional liability (medical malpractice), employment law, and business litigation, successfully trying several cases to final verdict. After becoming partner, Ms. Blair left her law practice and joined Valley Children’s Hospital as their Corporate Compliance Officer. After six years in compliance, Ms. Blair took on an in-house position, as the Deputy General Counsel and gaining additional experience in healthcare transactions, privacy, security, corporate governance, insurance, risk management, consent law, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate transactions. Although born in Ohio, Ms. Blair calls the Central Valley her home. Ms. Blair is a graduate of Fresno State University, summa cum laude, and was the valedictorian in her class at San Joaquin College of Law. Ms. Blair serves on several non-profits, including La Feliz Guild, Central Valley Regional Center, and annually participates in the Step Up for Down Syndrome event in Clovis, California. Ms. Blair enjoys spending time with her husband and two young, active sons. She is also an exercise fanatic, enjoying all things fitness, but especially running.

Duke Leffler: Realtor

Duke has an impressive background with over 40 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. Duke is the only commercial agent to hold the SIOR designation in Stanislaus County and is one of only 3,500 professionals holding this title throughout 26 countries in the world. He lives in Modesto and has three children and five grandchildren.

David Kamins: IT Business

David is dedicated to his community. He states, “I want to leave it better than I found it”. He is very active in service groups, chambers of commerce, and multiple nonprofit organizations that align with this very mission. David became a Golden Valley Health Centers Foundation board member due to the wonderful treatment he and his daughter and first child received. David was struggling with the recession, as many at the time were, and Golden Valley was there for them.

Professionally, David works for Mid Valley IT, the central valley’s fastest growing IT company

Shannon Egleston

Shannon is an enthusiastic and accomplished team leader with over 30 years of event planning and management, fundraising and community relations experience.

Shannon is a believer in giving back to the community and has been involved with and worked for non-profit organizations over the years. She loves seeing an event go from paper to production and to help create the environment to touch every person in the room and help them understand the mission – not just for that night, but long after.

John Price, Vice Chair Consumer Member, Merced County

Mr. Price is the Board Vice Chair in the capacity of consumer representative. John has served on the Board since 1986. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics. He is also a graduate of the California Agricultural Education Foundation Fellowship Program; Certified Remodeler (CR) Certified Universal Design Professional (UDCP), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP). He owns Artisan Construction and Design, a complete design/build firm, serving Commercial and Residential Clients. Mr. Price is also a member of the Golden Valley Health Centers Foundation Board of Directors, is a Past President of the Merced Rotary Club, and sits on the Merced Chamber of Commerce Board. John is also an Elder at Central Presbyterian Church. He is proud of contributing to the growth of the GVHC Corporation over the last 35 years. John enjoys gardening, photography, camping and skiing. He resides in Merced with his wife Ellen. He has three sons: Derek, his wife Sarah and their three little ones, Jack, Kate and Grace; Byron, his wife Stephanie and their children Kaden, Riley, Kaleigh and Ryder; and the youngest son, Andrew. John currently serves on all the board committees, and is often a speaker at National Conferences.

Aaron Castleton, Esq., Chairperson Public Member, Merced County

Mr. Castleton is the Board Chairperson of the Board and as public representative. Aaron has served on the Board since 2014. He holds a Master’s degree from Pepperdine and his Law degree from the University of La Verne. He is an attorney and mediator who owns Castleton Law Firm in Merced which specializes in a variety of civil matters and conducts transactions for several local businesses. He is also involved in the youth program at his church, the Local Council of Boy Scouts of America, and has been an assistant basketball coach at Golden Valley High School for several years. Aaron is thrilled to add his areas of expertise to the already thriving leadership at GVHC. Aaron enjoys golfing and skiing. He resides in Merced with his wife Melissa and their three children Preston, Braden and Addison. Mr. Castleton currently serves on the Personnel and Executive Committee.

Ernesto Gomez, Treasurer Public Member, Merced County

Ernesto Gomez is the Treasurer of the Board and serves as public representative. He is a Branch Manager and Senior Mortgage Consultant for Gold Star Mortgage Financial Group in Merced. As a lifelong resident of the Merced community, Mr. Gomez feels a strong bond to the area and its people as he spent summers as a teen alongside his grandmother in the fields picking grapes, tomatoes, peaches and peppers. After graduating from Merced High School, Mr. Gomez attended California State University, Stanislaus where he earned a degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Corrections. He interned and worked as a bilingual Probation Officer for Merced County for a few years before becoming a Gang/Drug/Crisis Intervention Counselor in the Merced Union High School District and the Atwater Elementary School District. During his time in the schools, he was able to steer local youth onto more positive academic and social paths. In 2006, Ernesto decided to change careers and secured his real estate license. He became a loan officer and eventually a manager for two branches. He acknowledges his biggest professional asset is his staff saying, “Without them, I am nothing”. Ernesto is married to his wife Rosemarie and they have five children and one granddaughter. He is involved in several community organizations including the Children’s Miracle Network, the Merced Cancer Society, and is also currently the Treasurer/Board Member of Tier One Tranquility Base, a non-profit geared toward mitigating Veteran Suicide. A patient as a boy, Ernesto has been back at GVHC as a Board member since February 2016 and is excited to give back to the organization. “Golden Valley’s services are critical to our community, so it is important that we continue to grow in order to meet people’s health care needs.” Ernesto currently serves on the Finance and Executive Committee.

Maria Rosales, Secretary Consumer Member, Turlock- Stanislaus County

Maria Rosales serves as Board member in the capacity of consumer representative. She served on our Board in 2015. She left to pursue a career with Livingston Community Health. Since then has left and is now employed by UC Merced. She holds a BA in Social Science and MA in Academic Counseling from California State University at Stanislaus. After High School, Maria took a substitute position at a local Head Start where she observed staff members that worked as liaisons between the families and the educational facility as well as the community. She was inspired to take a position at the Central Valley Opportunity Center as their Facilitator for transitional youth and displaced workers, but she realized her dream when she was hired by the Patterson School District as their Family Resource Center Director. At the Westley and Grayson center, she oversaw the literacy program for adults learning English. At the Patterson Resource Center she ran a program for Latinas that transitioned them from the literacy curriculum to GED programs and enrollment into Modesto Junior College. Maria resides in Modesto and enjoys spending time with friends and family. She also enjoys live music. Maria currently serves on the Personnel Committee.

David Carr: COO for Merced Rescue Mission

Dave began as a new board member of Golden Valley Health Centers in September 2022. David also serves as a Board Member for Jail Ministries, and is a Rotary Club Member. David holds two associate degrees in sociology and psychology. David is a Certified Alcohol and Drug counselor II with the state of California. David currently works as the Chief Operations Officer for the Merced Rescue Mission and has a heart for helping the homeless of Merced County. David is married to his wonderful wife, Jennifer, and together they have three boys.

George Conklin, Board Member, Merced County

George Conklin began as a new board member of Golden Valley Health Centers in March 2018. George serves as Board member in the capacity of representative. He is retired Physician Assistant after serving GVHC for 16 years. Born and raised in New Jersey he began his medical career serving in the United States Coast Guard as a Hospital Corpsman, retiring after 20 years as a Chief, Hospital Corpsman (E-7). Besides being Vietnam Veteran, his other military tours included search and rescue (boat, ship and helicopter), Federal Law Enforcement, Aids to Navigation. Following the Coast Guard, George attended the University of Southern California, School of Medicine, Physician Assistant studies. He then worked for the United States Bureau of Prisons at the federal penitentiary Lompoc, California as a physician assistant and a member of the Special Operations Response Team (SORT). Following this he turned his physician assistant career toward working with the underserved community of the Central California Valley. While working for GVHC, George was the sole provider for the Dos Palos clinic, sat as representative for the nurse practitioners and physician assistants on the clinical leadership team and was assigned as the interim Chief Medical Officer (CMO) during the transition of the CMO’s on the Executive Team. During this time, he also involved himself in his small, agricultural community by serving as a city councilman, mayor, as well as being a volunteer firefighter on an all-volunteer fire department. George is widowed and continues to live in Firebaugh, CA. He maintains his community responsibility as a volunteer firefighter (also assigned as department safety officer) and a member of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7380 (VFW). George currently serves on the Quality Improvement Committee, Planning & Facilities Committee, Finance and Executive Committee.

Maria Vargas-Perez Consumer Member, Merced County

Maria Vargas-Perez serves as Board member in the capacity of consumer representative. Maria has served on the Board since 2012. Mrs. Vargas-Perez graduated in Mexico as a bookkeeper. Maria is currently furthering her education. She enjoys volunteering at the Healthy South Merced Project and has been Catechist at Sacred Heart Church for about 13 years. Maria occasionally will assist in the community clean-up and other projects. She has maintained a solid, healthy family that have become good citizens to the society. Maria enjoys to ride her bike with family and friends. She resides in Merced, as a house wife, with her husband Jose, her son Jesus and daughter Edith. Maria currently serves on the Quality Improvement Committee and Planning & Facilities Committee.

Robert Anderson, Ed.D. Public Member, Merced County

Robert “Bobby” Anderson began his tenure on the GVHC Board of Directors in March 2016. Bobby serves as public representative. He retired in 2019 as the Dean of Instruction at Merced College who oversees the Allied Health, Business, and Public Safety areas on campus. Dr. Anderson came to California from Chicago as a basketball recruit for California State University, Fresno where he received his BA, MA, and Preliminary Administrative Services Credential. He worked in the private sector architectural field for several years and coached basketball at Fresno State before becoming an instructor and administrator within the Clovis Unified School district for 17 years. Dr. Anderson earned his Doctoral Degree in Organizational Leadership and Management from the University of La Verne along with a lifetime Professional Clear Administrative Services Credential. Before he retired his job was to administer the Allied Health programs, Bobby oversees the implementation of grant awards, endowments, and donations to support programs such as Registered Nursing, License Vocational Nursing, Certified Nurse’s Assistant, Radiologic Technology and Sonography. Additionally, Dr. Anderson supervised a variety of Merced College Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. These courses are established in partnership with local schools in an effort to provide college credit for high school students and facilitate their seamless transition to Merced College after graduation. Bobby is married to his lovely wife Ruth who is a High School Psychology and AVID instructor, and looks forward to bringing Merced College and GVHC’s partnership closer together in order to provide for the larger needs of the community, especially those in underserved neighborhoods. Bobby currently serves on the Personnel Committee.

Tamara Cobb, Consumer Member, Merced County

Tamara Cobb began as a new board member of Golden Valley Health Centers in October 2018. She serves as Board member in the capacity of consumer representative. Tamara earned a degree from Merced College in Administration of Justice. While completing her studies she sought and initiated the position as the first investigator for the Merced County Public Defender’s Office. She studied at Stanislaus State and City University in Washington. While employed as a booking officer she instituted a fingerprint verification release system. She served in the position of sergeant for King County Department of Rehabilitative Services. Over a thirty year span in law enforcement, she held positions within the Merced County District Attorney office, Washington State Employment Security, named to the position of Director of the Evergreen Collective through the Urban League of Washington.

Her interests include closing the achievement gap in public schools. She was publicly elected to the position of South Merced representative for the Building Healthy Communities-10 year project. She serves on several boards that promotes education, health, social justice and economic equity.

Currently she holds positions as United Domestic Worker Union Representative, Education Director and Executive Board Member for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She serves as an executive board member for the Merced Black Parallel School Board, the Merced County Office of Education Committee of African American Student Success, the African American Health initiative with Healthy House Coalition, and she is a Merced County Beachwood/Franklin board member. She serves as a document preparer with Love Faith and Hope non-profit. She has held various positions within the non-profit group South Merced Community Council. She is the Chairperson for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr annual celebration in Merced. She is MCOE certified to teach to teachers and the community on the issue of caring for the black child.

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